ELEMENT POWER IRELAND LTD. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR THE PROPOSED MAIGHNE WIND FARM, COUNTY KILDARE AND COUNTY MEATH VOLUME 1 - NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY MARCH 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 1 1.1 APPLICANT – ELEMENT POWER IRELAND LTD ...................................................................... 1 1.2 THE NEED FOR THE PROJECT ........................................................................................ 2 1.3 APPLICATION AND EIS PROCESS .................................................................................... 2 1.4 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT ............................................................................ 2 1.4.1 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT METHODOLOGY ....................................................... 2 1.4.2 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT STRUCTURE ........................................................... 3 1.4.3 PRE-SUBMISSION CONSULTATIONS ............................................................................ 3 1.5 PERMISSION PERIOD.................................................................................................. 3 1.6 DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED ........................................................................................ 4 1.7 VIEWING AND PURCHASING OF THE EIS ........................................................................... 4 2 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT .................................................. 7 2.1 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................................ 7 2.2 PROJECT DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ............................................................................ 18 2.2.1 Construction Programme & Phasing of Works ...................................................... 18 2.2.2 Tree Felling .................................................................................................... 18 2.2.3 Cable Installation ............................................................................................ 18 2.2.4 Construction materials ..................................................................................... 19 2.3 OPERATION, MAINTENANCE AND DECOMMISSIONING/REINSTATEMENT ....................................... 19 2.4 SITE SELECTION AND ALTERNATIVE LAYOUTS FOR THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT ........................... 20 3 POLICY AND LEGISLATION ................................................................................... 22 3.1 GLOBAL POLICY ...................................................................................................... 22 3.2 EU DIRECTIVES AND POLICIES ..................................................................................... 22 3.3 IRISH ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT POLICIES ........................................................................ 22 3.4 KILDARE COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2011 -2017 ........................................................... 23 3.5 MEATH COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2013 - 2019 ............................................................ 24 4 SUMMARY OF THE EXISTING ENVIRONMENT ........................................................ 25 4.1 AIR AND CLIMATE CHANGE ......................................................................................... 25 4.2 NOISE AND VIBRATION .............................................................................................. 25 4.3 ECOLOGY .............................................................................................................. 25 4.4 SOILS AND GEOLOGY ................................................................................................ 26 4.5 HYDROLOGY .......................................................................................................... 27 4.6 WATER QUALITY ..................................................................................................... 27 4.7 HUMAN ENVIRONMENT .............................................................................................. 28 4.7.1 Socio-Economics ............................................................................................. 28 4.7.2 Land Use ....................................................................................................... 28 4.7.3 Recreation, Amenity and Tourism ...................................................................... 28 4.7.4 The Bloodstock Industry .................................................................................. 29 4.7.5 Health and Safety ........................................................................................... 29 4.7.6 Material Assets ............................................................................................... 29 4.8 SHADOW FLICKER .................................................................................................... 30 4.9 TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION .................................................................................... 30 4.10 ARCHAEOLOGY, ARCHITECTURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE .................................................. 30 Q:/2014/LE14/731/01/Rpt003-0.doc i/ii TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 4.11 LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL .......................................................................................... 31 4.11.1 Landscape Baseline ....................................................................................... 31 4.11.2 Visual Baseline ............................................................................................. 32 4.12 TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND AVIATION .......................................................................... 32 4.12.1 Telecommunications & Television .................................................................... 32 4.12.2 Aviation ...................................................................................................... 33 5 THE MAIN IMPACTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT & THEIR MITIGATION....................... 34 5.1 AIR AND CLIMATE CHANGE ......................................................................................... 34 5.2 NOISE AND VIBRATION .............................................................................................. 34 5.3 ECOLOGY .............................................................................................................. 35 5.4 SOILS AND GEOLOGY ................................................................................................ 37 5.5 HYDROLOGY .......................................................................................................... 38 5.6 WATER QUALITY ..................................................................................................... 38 5.7 HUMAN ENVIRONMENT .............................................................................................. 39 5.7.1 Socio-Economics ............................................................................................. 39 5.7.2 Land Use ....................................................................................................... 40 5.7.3 Recreation, Amenity and Tourism ...................................................................... 40 5.7.4 The Bloodstock Industry .................................................................................. 41 5.7.5 Health and Safety ........................................................................................... 41 5.7.6 Material Assets ............................................................................................... 42 5.8 SHADOW FLICKER .................................................................................................... 42 5.9 TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION .................................................................................... 43 5.10 ARCHAEOLOGY, ARCHITECTURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE .................................................. 43 5.11 LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL .......................................................................................... 44 5.11.1 Residual Landscape Effects ............................................................................ 45 5.11.2 Residual Visual Effects ................................................................................... 45 5.12 TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND AVIATION .......................................................................... 46 5.12.1 Telecommunications ..................................................................................... 46 5.12.1 Television and Radio ..................................................................................... 47 5.12.2 Aviation ...................................................................................................... 47 6 INTERACTION OF THE IMPACTS ........................................................................... 49 7 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 50 LIST OF FIGURES PAGE FIGURE 1.1: SITE LOCATION WITH BORDERING COUNTIES ............................................................... 5 FIGURE 1.2: SITE LOCATION MAP ........................................................................................... 6 FIGURE 2.1: SITE LAYOUT MAP .............................................................................................. 8 Q:/2014/LE14/731/01/Rpt003-0.doc ii/ii LIST OF TABLES PAGE TABLE 3.1: EXTRACTS FROM THE KILDARE COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2011 - 2017 ............................. 23 TABLE 3.2: EXTRACTS FROM THE MEATH COUNTY DEVELOPMENT